Golf bag stand

ABSTRACT

A stand for holding a golf bag in upright position on a golf course and adapted for convenient storage in small spaces when not in use. An elongated tubular supporting member has secured in one end thereof a mounting member to which are releasably attached a spike, a plate functioning as both a bottom support for the bag and a foot step, and a member which supports one side of the bag. A strap connected to the member is releasably buckled around the bag. A C-shaped hanger adapted to engage the bag top rim and a second bag-holding strap are connected to a clamp movably fastened on the tubular supporting member near the other end thereof. A tubular grip-type handle is positioned on the tubular supporting member intermediate the ends thereof.

United States Patent Howard A. Benzel 20 Lombardy St., Lancaster, N .Y.14086 [21] Appl. No. 805,544

[22] Filed Mar. 10, 1969 [45] Patented Mar. 16,1971

[72] Inventor [54] GOLF BAG STAND 154; ISO/1.5 (A) PrimaryExaminer-Chancellor E. Harris Attorney-Christel & Bean ABSTRACT: A standfor holding a golf bag in upright position on a golf course and adaptedfor convenient storage in small spaces when not in use. An elongatedtubular supporting member has secured in one end thereof a mountingmember to which are releasably attached a spike, a plate functioning asboth a bottom support for the bag and a foot step, and a member whichsupports one side of the bag. A strap connected to the member isreleasably buckled around the bag. A

[56] References Cited C-shaped hanger adapted to engage the bag top rimand a UNITED STATES PATENTS second bag-holding strap are connected to aclamp movably 699,391 5/1902 Johnson 248/96X fastened on the tubularsupporting member near the other end 1,978,242 10/1934 Zack 248/96thereof. A tubular grip-type handle is positioned on the tubu- 2,600,7136/1952 Wells 248/96 lar supporting member intermediate the ends thereof.

I I 4.? 72 y l 44 -45 3 7f 20, I /a/ PATENTED mm s l97l 570.795

Q SHEET 2 or 2 I INVENTOR. 1

J'fzuara O.BerzzeZ ATTOPNg'KS GULF also STAND BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION This invention relates to a golf bag holding stand and, moreparticularly, to a stand adapted to support a conventional golf bag inan upright or vertical position anywhere on a golf course and whichstand may be stored readily in small spaces when not in use. 1

Golf bag stands have been proposed which enable the golfer to place hisgolf bag in an upright position on the golf course rather than to layingthe bag horizontally on the ground while playing a ball. With suchstands the golfer need not stoop to withdraw and replace clubs, and thebag is not subject to harmful ground moisture and unnecessary wear andtear. Such stands have included, generally, an elongated rigidsupporting member having a stake or spike which is pushed into theground to maintain the supporting member in an upright posi tion. Thesupporting member is also provided with holding means for embracing thegolf bag. In additiomsome stands are provided with a handle tofacilitate carrying and with a footstep on the elongated member near thespike or stake to facilitate pushing it into the ground.

A consideration of some of the more specific characteristics of golf bagstands heretofore available will amplify the significant disadvantagesand limitations thereof. With stands having an elongated supportingmember in the form of a solid rod, significant strength and rigiditymust be sacrificed if the stand is to be light in weight and easilycarried. Where the spike or stake, footstep and handle are eitherintegral with the supporting member of fixedly attached thereto, thestand is not adapted to be readily stored in small spaces since thesecomponents generally project along as well as outwardly at right anglesto the longitudinal axis of the supporting member. In some stands theholding means for embracing the bag comprises a bottom support havingbrackets which embrace opposite sides of the bag and which areadjustable from undemeath. This arrangement, however, does not permitremoval of the bag from the stand when the stake has been pushed intothe ground.

In those stands provided with a handle, the handle often projectsoutwardly andfrequently at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of theelongated supporting member. This arrangement is intended to enable theuser to grasp the handle and be favorably oriented relative to thefootstep to facilitate driving the stake into the ground. This outwardprojection of the handle, however, sacrifices compactness which isimportant when the stand and bag are to be carried together and alsowhen the stand is to be stored.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of this inventionto provide a stand for holding a golf bag in an upright or verticalposition on a golf course which stand is both light in weight andsignificantly strong and rigid.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a golf bagstand having a compact and simple structure which is pleasing inappearance and which may be stored readily in small spaces.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a golf bagstand which can be hand-carried readily and easily either alone or whileattached to the golf bag and from which stand the golf bag may beremoved easily while being supported upright on the golf course.

It is a more particular object of this invention to provide such a golfbag stand of the type having an elongated supporting member wherein thecomponents which extend along as well as outwardly from the longitudinalaxis of the supporting member are readily and easily removable forstorage.

This invention provides a golf bag stand including a tubular elongatedsupporting member with a mounting member at one end thereof forreleasably connecting to the supporting member a stake or spike memberand a member which functions both as a footstep and a bottom support forthe golf bag.

The elongated tubular supporting member is provided with detachablemeans at the same end thereof which functions as a side support for thebag. Adjacent both ends of the tubular supporting member are first andsecond detachable means for holding the golf bag. The stand is providedwith a handle which is constructed and oriented so as to facilitatepushing the stake or spike in the ground as well as carrying the bag.

The foregoing and other objects, advantages and characterizing featuresof this invention will become clearly apparent from the ensuing detaileddescription of an illustrative embodiment thereof, considered inconjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like referencenumerals denote like parts'throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view ofthe golf bag stand of this invention as it would appear in use,supporting a golf bag in an upright position;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, rear elevational view of the golf bag stand ofFIG. 1, taken about on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view thereof, partly in elevation and partly insection the straps being broken away for convenience in illustration:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a golf bagstand 10 provided by this invention as it would appear in use,supporting a golf bag 11, having a top rim 12 and bottom 13, in anupright position on a golf course 14.

Golf bag stand 10, shown in more detail in FIGS. 2--7, includes anelongated tubular supporting member 20 having'a length which desirably,although not necessarily, is approximately equal to the height of thegolf bag 11 to be supported. Member 20 is of a rigid material, such asaluminum or other metal, and by virtue of the tubular form thereof isboth lightweight and of significant strength and rigidity.

Within tubular member 20 and at one end thereof there is secured amounting member 21 comprising, in a preferred form, a generallycylindrical solid member having an outer diameter substantially equal tothe inner diameter of the tubular member 20. Mounting member 21 issecured within tubular member 20 by suitable fastening means, forexample screws 22, 23 which extend through tubular member 20 and intothe mounting member 21.

Mounting member 21 is provided with an internal recess 24 which opensthrough one end of member 20 for receiving another component of thestand as will be described. In the illustrated embodiment, recess 24 isconcentric with member 20 and extends approximately one-third the lengthof mounting member 21.

Stand 10 also includes an elongated plate 25 releasably attachedintermediate the ends thereof to the same end of tubular member 20 asmember 21. Plate 25 has a portion 26 extending laterally of member 20which functions as a bottom support or rest for the golf bag 11 andanother portion 27 extending laterally of member 20 on the side thereofopposite portion 26 which serves as a footstep for a purpose to bedescribed. The stand further includes a spike or stake 28 which isreleasably mounted in recess 24 of mounting member 21 and advantageouslyfunctions to releasably attach plate 25 to the end of the tubularsupporting member 20. Spike 28 is threadably connected at one end 29thereof in recess 24, and

extends through an aperture 30 in plate 25 which aperture is of asmaller diameter than that of member 20. Spike 28 is provided with astop member in the form of nut 31 which cooperates with a washer 32 tofirmly position plate 25 against the end of member when spike 28 isthreaded home in recess 24. Plate may be channel-shaped, as shown inFIG. 2, to increase the strength thereof.

it should be noted that spike 28 can be releasably connected in therecess 24 of the mounting member 32 in various other ways withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of this invention. For example,recess 24 could be provided with longitudinal channels along the sidesthereof to receive corresponding projections on the end 29 of the spike28 as it is pushed into the recess and with a lateral channel forreceiving the projections when the spike 28 is rotated and hence lockedin the recess. It should also be apparent that while spike 28 in thisparticular illustration advantageously also secures plate 25 to the endof the member 20, the plate can be separately and releasably attached tomember 20 by suitable means without departing from the spirit and scopeof this invention.

Tubular member 20 is closed at the other end thereof by a cap 35. Also,there is provided at this end of tubular member 20 movable golf bagholding means including a clamp 36 fastened to the exterior of member 20by bolts 3740 and a nut plate 41. A C-shaped hanger member 43 isconnected to clamp 36 by bolts 37-40 and is adapted to fit over the toprim 12 of golf bag 11. A strap 44 also is connected to clamp 36 and isprovided with suitable adjustable buckling means 45 so that it can bereleasably secured around golf bags of various diameters. it will beappreciated that because hanger 43 is connected to clamp 36 which, uponloosening of bolts 37-40 can be moved axially along the member 20, golfbags of various heights can be accommodated.

The golf bag stand provided by this invention also includes a handle 46which is tubular in form, having an inner diameter substantially equalto the outer diameter of the tubular supporting member 20. Handle 46preferably is formed from rubber or plastic material and is positionedalong member 20 at a conveniently accessible location intermediate theends thereof. Handle 46 is provided with a series of finger receivingrecesses 47 to facilitate gripping thereof, and the recesses 47 define aseries of ridges 48 therebetween. Handle 46 can be rotated relative tomember 20 so as to be in any desired rotational position. A positionfound most desirable is with the ridges pointing toward the golf bag. Analternative position is shown in FIGS. 1--3 may be preferred driving thestake. The user is thus oriented relative to the bag and stand so thathe can conveniently place his foot nearest the bag step 27 to drivestake 28 into the ground. The handle can be oriented to facilitatecarrying the stand or driving the stake but it does not projectoutwardly or at a right angle from the supporting member 20.

The golf bag stand provided by this invention also includes bag holdingand supporting means 50 located on supporting member 20 near the stakeend thereof. The means 50 includes an elongated, rigid member in theform of a strip 51 releasably attached intermediate the ends thereof tothe tubular member 20. Strip 51 is disposed so that the longitudinalaxis thereof is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofthe tubular member 20. By virtue of this arrangement member 51 serves asa side supporting member for the golf bag 11. In this particular examplemember 51 is secured to supporting member 20 by fastening meanscomprising the same screws 22, 23 which secure mounting member 21 withinsupport 20.

Member 51 is provided with slots 52, 53 for receiving a strap 54 adaptedto be fastened through buckling means 55 snugly around the golf bag.Member 51 also is bent slightly at each slotted end thereof in adirection toward bag 11 to enhance the lateral supporting feature.

In the preferred form, mounting member 21 is a cylindrical solid havinga bottom portion 60 and a top portion 61 which is substantiallycylindrical with the exception of a portion removed to provide a flatsurface 62. Recess 24 is provided in one end of member 21 and two holes63, 64 are drilled through the flat surface 62 of portion 61 forreceiving the screws 23, 24. Tubular member 20, as shown in FIG. 3, hasa portion bent inwardly to form a corresponding flat surface 65 whichmates with surface 62 to facilitate attachment of strip 51 andpositioning of the member 21. A notch 62 also can be provided, as shownin FIG. 6, which is in alignment with the surface 62. The notch 62'facilitates alignment of member 21 in tube 20 when, during assembly, thetube is bent inwardly to form surface 65 after member 21 is positionedtherein. in addition, notch 62 and the end of tube 20 define a regionwhich can receive an extension from step 25 for alignment thereof.

When entirely assembled, stand 10 is attached to the golf bag 11 simplyby slipping the bag top rim 12 under the C- shaped hanger 43 and byresting the bag bottom against the support portion 26 of plate 25. Thehanger 43 is adjustable along the member 20 by means of the movableclamp 36, as previously described, to accommodate bags of variousheights. Then straps 44, 54 are each buckled snugly around bag 11 andthe stand and bag are ready to be carried by the golfer, either by meansof handle 46 on the stand 10 or by means of the con ventional handle orstrap on the golf bag. The compact structure of the golf bag standprovided by this invention is desirable both in permitting convenienttransportation thereof and in creating a pleasing appearance.

When the golfer wishes to withdraw a club from the bag, the bag andstand are placed in an upright position on the course as shown inFIG. 1. Stake 28 is pushed into the ground by the golfer applying forcethrough his foot to the step portion 27 of plate 25. As previouslyexplained, the orientation of handle 46, specifically the fingerreceiving recesses 47 thereon, facilitates this operation.

If for any reason the golfer desires to remove the bag from the standwhile in the position shown in FIG. 1, he simply unbuckles the twostraps, moves the bottom 13 of the bag outwardly along support 26 andremoves the top rim 13 out from under the hanger 43. The bagsubsequently could be attached to the stand with the same ease andconvenience.

The bag and stand can be removed from the upright position simply bygrasping handle 46 and giving an upward pull along the axis of supportmember 20, the stand and bag then carried to a new location on the golfcourse.

It is a particularly advantageous feature of the stand of this inventionthat when not in use it can be stored readily in small spaces. By asimple removal of the two screws 23, 24, mounting member 21 with theplate 25 and spike 28 connected thereto, together with the strip 51, aredetached from the tubular member 20. The spike then can be unscrewedfrom the member 21 thus detaching plate 25. These removed components canbe stored with member 20 in a much smaller space than would be requiredif they remained assembled thereto. in particular, some of thesecomponents when assembled extend substantially at right angles to theaxis of the tubular member 20 which extension would unnecessarily occupyadditional space during storage.

The present invention thus accomplishes its intended ob- I jects. Theelongated supporting member 20, being tubular, is

both strong and lightweight. The provision of the mounting member 21enables this tubular construction to be used and still have variouscomponents, such as the stake 28 and plate 25, readily detachable fromthe tubular supporting member so as to allow storage in small spaces.

While the invention has been described with specificity, this has beendone by way of illustration, not limitation.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for supporting a golf bag comprising:

a. an elongated tubular supporting member;

b. a substantially cylindrical mounting member having an outer diametersubstantially equal to the inner diameter of said tubular member andrigidly and releasably secured within said tubular member at one endthereof by releasable fastening means extending through said tubularmember and into said mounting member;

c. a plate releasably attached to said tubular member adjacent said oneend thereof, said plate being disposed in a plane substantiallyperpendicular to the axis of said tubular member;

d. a spike releasably connected to said mounting member and disposed sothat the axis thereof if substantially parallel to the axis of saidtubular member;

e. bag-holding means connected to said tubular member near the other endthereof; and

f. a tubular handle provided with finger-receiving recesses, said handlebeing positioned on said tubular supporting member intermediate the endsthereof and disposed so that the axis thereof extends along the axis ofsaid tubular member.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said mounting member having arecess opening through said one end of said tubular member, and saidplate having an aperture of diameter less than the diameter of saidtubular member, said spike extending through said aperture and into saidrecess and being pro vided with means for preventing axial movement ofsaid plate along said spike.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bag-holding meanscomprises:

a. clamping means secured to said tubular member;

b. hanger means connected to said clamping means and adapted to extendover the top rim of a golf bag; and

c. a strap connected to said clamping means and adapted to releasablyembrace a golf bag.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said mounting member is asolid member having a portion thereof removed so as to provide a flatsurface, said tubular supporting member being bent inwardly on a portionof the surface thereof to form a flat surface mating with said mountingmember flat surface,

and wherein said fastening means secure said elongated member to saidtubular member on said flat portion thereof.

5. Apparatus for supporting a golf bag comprising:

a. an elongated tubular supporting member;

b. a substantially cylindrical solid mounting member having an outerdiameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of said tubularmember and a portion thereof removed so as to provide a flat surface,said tubular supporting member being bent inwardly on a portion of thesurface thereof to form a flat surface mating with said mounting memberflat surface;

c. a plate releasably attached to said tubular member adjacent one endthereof, said plate being disposed in a plane substantiallyperpendicular to the axis of said tubular member;

d. a spike releasably connected to said mounting member and disposed sothat the axis thereof is substantially parallel to the axis of saidtubular member;

e. bag-holding means connected to said tubular member near the other endthereof;

. bag-holding and supporting means connected to said tubular member nearsaid one thereof and including a rigid, elongated member connectedintermediate the ends thereof to said tubular member and disposed sothat the longitudinal axis thereof is substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of said tubular member and a strap connected to saidelongated member and adapted to releasably embrace a supported golf bag;and

g. fastening means securingsaid elongated member to said tubular memberon said flat portion thereof and extending through said tubular memberinto said mounting member.

1. Apparatus for supporting a golf bag comprising: a. an elongatedtubular supporting member; b. a substantially cylindrical mountingmember having an outer diameter substantially equal to the innerdiameter of said tubular member and rigidly and releasably securedwithin said tubular member at one end thereof by releasable fasteningmeans extending through said tubular member and into said mountingmember; c. a plate releasably attached to said tubular member adjacentsaid one end thereof, said plate being disposed in a plane substantiallyperpendicular to the axis of said tubular member; d. a spike releasablyconnected to said mounting member and disposed so that the axis thereofif substantially parallel to the axis of said tubular member; e.bag-holding means connected to said tubular member near the other endthereof; and f. a tubular handle provided with finger-receivingrecesses, said handle being positioned on said tubular supporting memberintermediate the ends thereof and disposed so that the axis thereofextends along the axis of said tubular member.
 2. Apparatus as set forthin claim 1, said mounting member having a recess opening through saidone end of said tubular member, and said plate having an aperture ofdiameter less than the diameter of said tubular member, said spikeextending through said aperture and into said recess and being providedwith means for preventing axial movement of said plate along said spike.3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bag-holding meanscomprises: a. clamping means secured to said tubular member; b. hangermeans connected to said clamping means and adapted to extend over thetop rim of a golf bag; and c. a strap connected to said clamping meansand adapted to releasably embrace a golf bag.
 4. Apparatus as set forthin claim 1, wherein said mounting member is a solid member having aportion thereof removed so as to provide a flat surface, said tubularsupporting member being bent inwardly on a portion of the surfacethereof to form a flat surface mating with said mounting member flatsurface, and wherein said fastening means secure said elongated memberto said tubular member on said flat portion thereof.
 5. Apparatus forsupporting a golf bag comprising: a. an elongated tubular supportingmember; b. a substantially cylindrical solid mounting member having anouter diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of said tubularmember and a portion thereof removed so as to provide a flat surface,said tubular supporting member being bent inwardly on a portion of thesurface thereof to form a flat surface mating with said mounting memberflat surface; c. a plate releasably attached to said tubular memberadjacent one end thereof, said plate being disposed in a planesubstantially perpendicular to the axis of said tubular member; d. aspike releasably connected to said mounting member and disposed so thatthe axis thereof is substantially parallel to the axis of said tubuLarmember; e. bag-holding means connected to said tubular member near theother end thereof; f. bag-holding and supporting means connected to saidtubular member near said one thereof and including a rigid, elongatedmember connected intermediate the ends thereof to said tubular memberand disposed so that the longitudinal axis thereof is substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said tubular member and astrap connected to said elongated member and adapted to releasablyembrace a supported golf bag; and g. fastening means securing saidelongated member to said tubular member on said flat portion thereof andextending through said tubular member into said mounting member.